


Captured

by Sg1sjshipper



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24313777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sg1sjshipper/pseuds/Sg1sjshipper
Summary: Sam disappears while on a mission with Daniel and Teal'c. Jack hates not being out there with them, especially when they get into trouble. Can he bring her home?
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 11
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Jen (3starjeneral) for being an amazing beta. This story is so much better thanks to her! Check out her amazing fics if you haven't already!

“Sir.” Jack lifted his eyes from the report he'd been trying to read for over an hour, to see Walter standing in the entrance to his office.  
“Walter.”  
“SG-1 is an hour late for their check in.”  
“Well, let’s dial them up.” Jack follows Walter down the stairs, waiting as the gate spins.   
“Chevron seven locked.” Walter called out, as the Gate burst into life.  
“This is the SGC calling SG-1. SG-1, can you hear me? You missed your check in.” Jack let go of the microphone and looked down at Walter. "Walter, bring up the M.A.L.P. camera.”  
"Yes Sir."  
They both watch the screen as the camera pans the vicinity of the gate. “There.” Jack pointed at the screen. “Can you focus right there?”  
Walter moves the M.A.L.P. closer to where Jack was pointing while also magnifying the camera image. “It looks like a person, but they don’t appear to be moving.”  
“That’s Daniel.” Jack stood up. “Get SG-3 and a med team ready to go now.”  
“Yes, sir.”

The waiting was the worst part of being in charge. He waited for SG-3 to get ready. He waited for the med team to bring Daniel back. He waited for SG-3 to report they were bringing Teal’c back but had not located Carter. He waited for Daniel and Teal’c to wake up. 

“Teal’c, what happened out there?”   
“I am unclear.” He looked over at the still unconscious Daniel. “Have you not located Colonel Carter?”   
Jack's head shook. “Not yet. What do you remember?”  
“Colonel Carter said her soil and air samples hinted that the planet had undergone a significant negative climatic change. Daniel Jackson felt the ruins supported her conclusion and he was planning to recommend that a team be sent back for further exploration. Colonel Carter felt the UV radiation was too high for a team to stay more than a couple days. They were conversing about their recommendations as we made our way back to the gate.” Teal’c’s eyes fell to the side.   
“Then?”  
Teal’c looked back at Jack. “Then I awoke here. I have no memory of anything that transpired between then and now. I am sorry O’Neill.”  
Jack put his hand on Teal’c’s forearm. “Thanks, Teal’c.”

Daniel woke almost an hour after Teal’c, but he wasn’t able to add anything to what they already knew. SG-3 had gone back for a longer search but had again returned empty handed. Even the UAV had not found any sign of her. Jack was considering his options for a more extensive search when the familiar announcement came over the speaker.

“Unscheduled incoming wormhole.” Jack was in the control room in seconds.  
Walter looked over his shoulder. “We don’t have an IDC sir.” 

“Who is it Jack?”   
Jack looked behind him. “What are you two doing out of the infirmary?”  
“We’ve been awake for a couple hours and they can’t find anything wrong with us. Who is it?” Daniel tilted his chin towards the gate.  
“No clue.”  
“We’re receiving audio, sir.”  
“Let’s hear it, Walter.”  
“Please, Jack!”  
Daniel moved forward, nudging Jack to the side. “It’s Sam.”  
“No, Jack! Please, don’t leave me, please. Give me a chance!”  
Daniel grabbed the microphone. “Sam!”  
“Don’t leave me like this! Please!”   
“Sam! It’s Daniel. Where are you?”  
“Please, Jack.”  
All eyes turned to Jack. He bent over and took the microphone. “Let her go.”  
“No, Jack! Please, don’t leave me, please. Give me a chance!”  
Jack closed his eyes.   
“Don’t leave me like this! Please!”  
Jack rolled his shoulders as he stood up. “Let her go and we’ll leave you in peace.” He watched the computer screen but all he saw was a dusty wasteland. “Shut it down.” 

Walter did as ordered. Daniel grabbed Jack’s arm. “Jack! How could you? That was Sam!”  
“No, Daniel, it wasn’t.” He looked down. "Walter, have SG 3 and 6 in the briefing room in ten minutes.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
Daniel pulled on Jack’s sleeve. “Of course it was. You heard it just like the rest of us.”  
“It was her voice but that wasn’t her.”   
Daniel shook his head in disbelief as Jack pulled his arm out of his grasp and started up the stairs. “I know that wasn’t her.”  
Daniel and Teal’c followed him. “How? How do you know that?”  
Jack spun. His face was seething. “Because I can count on one hand the number of times she’s called me Jack and that,” he pointed down towards the control room, “was number two.”  
Daniel’s brow furrowed. “Number two?”  
Jack closed his eyes and slowly breathed out. “I've heard that entire conversation before. That’s what she said when I left her alone in a cell while she was fighting Jolinar.”  
Daniel paled. “You’re...you’re sure?”  
“Positive.” Jack turned back towards his office as he quietly mumbled. “I’ve never forgotten those words.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - 

Although they weren’t invited, Daniel and Teal’c stayed for the mission briefing.   
“We leave in ten minutes. Get geared up.”  
“We?” Colonel Reynolds looked at Jack.  
“You heard me.”  
“Sir, we can handle this.”  
“I know you can Colonel, but whomever sent that message, was sending it to me.”  
“We’re going too.” Daniel poked his chin out.  
“Indeed.”  
Jack nodded at Teal’c but looked skeptically at Daniel. “You’re barely out of the infirmary.”  
Daniel’s mouth dropped. “You’re letting Teal’c go.”  
“You really want me to compare you to Teal’c?”  
“You’re going.”  
“I’m the man.”   
“Jack.”  
Jack sighed. “Fine, just be quick. And don't get shot.”

“SG-3 niner calling SG-1. So far nothing to the East, General.” Colonel Reynolds waited for a response. “SG-3 niner calling SG-1. Please respond.” After a moment Reynolds stopped his team. “SG-3 niner calling SG-6, Major Clark has your team seen any sign of Colonel Carter?”  
“Negative, sir.”  
“Ok, I’m calling this off. Meet back at the gate.”  
Colonel Reynolds stepped into the area around the gate and immediately spotted the unconscious forms of Daniel and Teal’c lying on the steps leading up to the gate. "Cover me" he shouted, before moving forward carefully, scanning the perimeter. He bent and placed a finger on each man's neck, checking their pulses.  
“They're alive” he called to his team, as SG-6 closed the distance between them and him. “Dial the SGC. Let’s get them home.” 

Daniel and Teal’c both woke as soon as they were laid down on the ramp in the gateroom. Teal’c sat up first and looked around him. “Major Reynolds, where is O’Neill?”   
Daniel pushed himself weakly up onto one elbow. “Jack?”  
Colonel Reynolds put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “He wasn’t with you.” 

Jack felt the hard, cold metal behind him before the fog in his brain cleared. He forced himself to walk through his most recent memories. He’d been with Daniel and Teal’c looking for Carter. The planet had been dusty with only the husks of dead and dying trees around them. Jack slowly rolled his tight shoulders. His neck muscles were tight, and his arms were burning. It took his brain a moment to realize his arms were above his head. He gently pulled on them but felt resistance.

He cracked his eyes open. The room was brightly lit and he didn’t see anyone right in front of him. He slowly rotated his head to be sure he couldn’t see anyone before fully opening his eyes. He pulled more forcefully on his hands, but the resistance held. He tried to bend his right leg but again encountered resistance. When he tested his left leg, he got the same result. 

Movement to his right grabbed his attention. He tensed, thinking it might be his captor, but instead saw desert camouflage.   
"Carter?"  
Her foot shook.  
“Carter, are you ok?”  
Her foot shook again.

“She is fine.” A tall incredibly thin man with a green hue to his skin came up from behind Jack’s left shoulder. “She has been quite concerned about you.”  
Jack pulled against his restraints. “Who are you and why are you holding us?”  
The table upon which Sam was laying, moved, raising her head, which allowed Jack to better see her. There was a mask over her mouth and several wires attached to her head. “What are you doing to her?”  
“She has not been harmed.” Jack pulled on his restraints again as the man moved in front of him. “Please relax. You will not be able to help yourself or Samantha if you are injured.”  
The table Jack was on also started moving, raising his head. “What do you want?”  
The man tilted his head. “We need Samantha’s help.”  
“This is a damn stupid way to ask for help.” He looked back over at her. “What is it you want?”  
“She can save our planet. She can fix it.” The man looked over his shoulder at Sam.  
“Did you ask her to save your planet?”  
“No, that would have been pointless.” The alien turned towards the wall in front of Jack. An image of Jack sitting at his desk popped up on the wall.

“Yes, sir.” Sam’s voice filled the room. He looked over at her, but her mouth was still covered. 

The image changed. This time he was leaning over at her lab bench. “With all due respect sir, I’d like to…” The image switched.

“Not gonna happen, Carter. No way, no how.” He could see his smirk as he spoke. There was another shift in the image.

“Sir, yes, sir.” He could tell by her tone that she was angry and the image of his face on the wall was chilling, even to himself.

“What...what is this?” Jack tilted his head towards the wall.  
“These are Samantha’s memories.” The alien turned back to Jack. “As we probed her mind it became clear that she would not be allowed to make the decision about whether or not to help us, therefore asking her would have been... pointless.”  
“Ok, I see. That’s why you wanted me, so I could give her permission to help you?”  
“No, as I said asking for help would be pointless. We will find what we need.”  
“Find?”  
“Yes, we will continue to sort through her mind until we locate the answer.”  
“If she has the answer, she can just tell you.”  
“She might lie. Our method is more reliable.”  
“Then how can I help?”  
“You are leverage.”  
“Leverage?”   
“Yes.”   
He walked back to Sam, laying a hand on her left shoulder. “She is hiding the information from us.” He looked down at her. “We needed a way to convince her to cooperate.”   
“You lured me in?”  
“Yes, we decided threatening her mate would be the easiest way to convince her to provide us with the information she is withholding.”   
“Her what?” Jack squirmed. “You’re a little off base there. I’m her commanding officer and there’s no way threatening me will make her cooperate.”

The illuminated again, drawing Jack’s attention. He saw his head tilting as she kissed him, a kiss he had no memory of. The scene shifted. 

“I remember feeling feelings.” He saw himself as Jonah. Her hand moved up his chest and around his neck as he bent his head and met her lips. That was a kiss he did remember. He’d thought about it many times over the years. 

The room filled with the sound of moaning. His eyes widened as he saw a hand slide down her abdomen. “Yes, Jack. Yes.” Her hips bucked. The muscles in Jack’s abdomen clenched as her moans grew louder and she kept saying his name. He looked over at her, but her eyes were closed, and her head was tilted away from him. 

“Enough. Stop it.”

The image disappeared. “As you can see, it is clear that you are her mate.”   
Jack’s gaze returned to the alien standing beside Sam. Once he knew Jack was watching, he slowly but determinedly slid his green hand down, caressing Sam’s breast.   
Jack pulled against his restraints again. “See, you feel protective of her, as you would for your mate.” Jack was seething as the alien's fingers moved in circles on Sam’s abdomen.   
“I will not make her tell you what you want to know.” Jack’s face went neutral. “As a matter of fact, I am ordering her to not tell you.”  
“What?” The man’s yellow eyes narrowed. “You cannot do that.”

“Carter, I forbid you from telling this lizard anything he wants to know. No matter what he does, you tell him nothing.” One corner of Jack’s mouth curved up, and his eyes found his captors, once again. “If you've learned anything about her, you know she’ll follow my orders.”


	3. Chapter 3

The alien marched across the room and picked up a light blue machine that was sitting on a table in the far corner. He took a wand off the machine and held it to Jack’s chest. As the energy raced through him Jack arched up, but the clenching of his jaw prevented him from screaming out in pain. Sam rattled her restraints, trying to free herself. She knew the pain he was suffering, since the machine had already been used on her.  
The alien lifted the wand off Jack’s chest. Jack collapsed back on the table, gasping for breath. 

The alien looked over at Sam. “Tell us how to fix our planet.”

The images on the wall rotated between an exploding sun, a crashing mothership, an erupting volcano, and the event horizon of a blackhole. Her mind was bringing up images of destructive forces, what she hoped to bring down upon her tormentor.   
The alien put the wand back on Jack’s chest. He arched again. Sam screamed around the mask gagging her. The images on the wall shifted to dead jaffa and fallen soldiers, images from the many battles Sam had survived. The last image was of Jack falling over after being hit by a staff blast. She had thought he was dead. As the wand was removed, the image of Jack lying on the battlefield remained.

“She worries about you.”

Jack struggled to get his muscles to relax and let him take a full breath. He turned to look at Sam and was surprised to find she was watching him. He knew the pain in her eyes was for him. The image switched to him lying in the infirmary after his torture by Ba’al. His eyes were unfocused, and he barely acknowledged her when she sat the water on the table beside him. 

The alien moved back over to her. “It is easy to understand what you see in her.” Sam’s eyes closed as the alien laid his hand back on her chest. When he fondled her breast again, Jack decided that as soon as he was free the alien would die, after he'd broken that hand first. “It is more difficult to understand what she sees in you.”

The image on the wall switched the Jack leaning forward on her bench and peering through a magnifying glass. He remembered her laugh that day, melodic, carefree. The view kept changing. He was offering himself in her place when Nirriti had ordered Alebran to take her to the genetic mutation chamber on P3X-367. He was walking across the park bringing Cassie a dog. He was offering himself instead of her on Netu. He was grilling on his deck. He was handing command over to her while the ancient knowledge in his head was slowly taking over on the way to the ancient outpost. He was sitting at the head of the briefing table. He was standing on the other side of that damn force shield. 

“Enough!” The alien slapped Sam. “How do we fix our planet?”  
Sam glared at him as the images began rotating. Hairspray. A 747. A power plant. A refrigerator. A freeway with bumper to bumper traffic. A river with dead fish. A fire being put out by a fire extinguisher. Beijing with thick smog. A rainforest burning. An oil rig. Smokestacks. 

“Are these things that can fix our planet?” The alien watched the images moving across the screen.  
“Not likely.” Jack sneered. “I’m pretty sure she’s saying you people ruined your own planet. You destroyed it with your greed and corruption.”  
“How do we fix it!” The alien threw the light blue machine towards the images. Pieces clattered to the floor. “You know and you are keeping it from me! Tell me!”  
“As soon as she tells you you’ll kill us both.”   
The alien slammed his hands down on the table beside Jack’s head. 

“Make her tell me!”

“It’ll be a cold day in hell before I’ll give that order.”

The alien screamed, a high pitched sound that reverberated around the walls of the small room in which they lay, as he stormed out, . They both watched him leave. Jack looked over at Sam. “You ok?” She gave him a small nod of her head. “Speaking of a cold day in hell they could turn the heat up in here a bit.”   
The wall turned green. He looked over at it, realizing the green was BDU camouflage green.

“Sara.” His face appeared on the screen. He looked awful. 

“I’m here Jack.”

“Cold, so cold.”

“I know, it’s alright. You can sleep now. It was an honor serving with you too, Colonel.”

The image faded. His memories by that point of the mission had been hazy at best, but if he was being honest, they were mostly non-existent. That scene was not something he remembered, and she’d never told him about it. Sam had done nothing but berate herself when they'd finally reached McMurdo, angry at herself for not having tried any other gate addresses, for being so desperate to reach Earth that all thoughts of other planets had quite literally been pushed to one side.   
It had taken him days after he woke up to assure her that he’d screwed up just as much as her, and it didn’t matter anyway, since they were both going to be ok. 

“We’re getting out of here Carter.” He locked eyes with her. She paused longer than he would like but she gave him a small nod. “You know Teal’c will go to the end of the Earth to find us.”  
Teal’c pushing through the pain of his back injury and forcing himself to do more rehab appeared on the wall. Jack saw himself again. “It’s a jaffa revenge thing.” Teal’c kicking the super soldier Jack had killed to ensure it was dead.   
“That’s our T.”

When the alien reentered the room, he was carrying a small tray. “I’ve grown tired of your stalling.” He picked up a syringe. “You will tell me what I need to know.” He tapped the syringe to remove the air and squirted a small amount of the red fluid into the air. Sam began to pull against her restraints again.  
“Get away from her"   
The alien glanced menacingly at Sam. “Too late.” He moved towards her, and jabbed the needle into her thigh, emptying all of the fluid into her. Her eyes closed as she threw her head back. The images on the screen began to rotate between the Ashrak pointing a Hara'Kesh device at her, Turgan swinging a whip, Nirriti staring while Sam was in her genetic mutation chamber, Cassie’s fallen face when Sam had told her that Janet had died, and Jack’s frozen face in Antarctica. The screen turned white and then went black as she arched off her bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Jack and the alien both waited as Sam slowly laid back on the bed. He could see the wetness in the corners of her eyes, a strong indication of the pain to which she was being subjected. Jack saw himself appear on the wall. He was covered in grime after working in the mines for weeks while Daniel descended into sarcophagus addiction. He remembered how much his body had ached. It had been brutal work and hot.   
The alien leaned close to Sam’s face, putting his lip right beside her ear. “How do we save our planet?”  
Flasks of liquids appeared on the wall. The alien’s eyes lit up. “What are those?” he demanded. The flasks were replaced with numbers and letters, which made no sense to Jack. “Yes, explain more!” The numbers and letters stacked up and filled the screen.   
Sam began to shake, and the screen suddenly went black. “Carter!” Jack yelled and pulled against his restraints.  
The alien screamed again and grabbed her. “Don’t stop!”, he roared, “Wake up.” Her seizure worsened as he shook her shoulders.  
“Let her go", Jack yelled, "can’t you see you’re hurting her. She can’t help you if you kill her.”   
The alien released his hold on Sam and spun towards Jack. “Shut up!” His breathing increased. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.” He began to pace the room. “She has the answers. I have to get the answers.”  
“If you want the damn answers, stop torturing her, let us go, and talk to us!”  
The alien’s skin darkened as he rounded on Jack. “You won’t help!”   
Jack sneered. “Every minute that passes with us restrained, makes it less likely we’ll help.”

As Sam’s seizure ended alarms began to blare.  
“No.” The alien ran to the door and tried desperately to hold it closed, but three other aliens pushed their way past him.

“What have you done?”

One of the new aliens grabbed the one who had been interrogating them, and the other two moved to Sam. “What did you do?”, they demanded, concerned by Sam's medical condition.   
Jack struggled to see Sam. “He injected her with something red.”   
The female looking alien bent and picked up the syringe. “With this?”, she asked, holding it up so Jack could see.  
“Yes.”  
“Where did he inject her?”  
“In the thigh.”  
She smelled the syringe, and then checked Sam’s thigh. “It’s norloxtan.”

“Damn. We need to reenergize her.” They both began to scurry around Sam, pressing buttons, and injecting substances into her. The alarms went silent while they worked. The female lifted Sam’s eyelids. “Her eye is not responsive.”  
“We can jolt her brain.”  
“What?” Jack shouted and tried to move against his restraints again. “That doesn’t sound ok.”  
The female alien moved over to Jack, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Her brain has been over stimulated and has shut down. We are going to attempt to restart it.”  
“Shut down?” Jack exclaimed, as he turned his face towards the alien woman.

“If I release you, will you cooperate?” she asked. Jack contemplated. “We can’t help her and fight you.”

“Fine.” 

She released him and they both moved to Sam's side. 

“Release her too.”

The woman nodded at the male across the table, who removed her bindings and the mask over her face. The alarms began blaring again. 

“What’s happening?” 

“Her heart is shutting down along with her brain.”

“Save her, please” Jack pleaded.  
The female selected another syringe, and quickly injected something orange into Sam. She began seizing again but the alarms stopped.

“I need to get her back to our planet.”

The aliens locked eyes with one another. “We are sorry about what was done to her. Omari’s actions were not sanctioned, and we did not know he was holding you. Please do not punish us for his actions."   
“Let us go now", Jack said slowly, his tone demanding and cold, "and I’ll consider not killing all of you.” He saw a shudder run through her. “I might even consider sending back an envoy, but only if you release us now.”  
The light green woman visibly shook again. “I can’t promise she is stable enough to make the trip.”  
“I’ll risk it,” Jack replied, flatly. 

“We can transport you to the surface, but we cannot join you. The surface harms us.”

“Fine!” Jack's patience was at breaking point. “Just get us the hell out of here.”

The aliens reached for Sam, but Jack pushed the female back and glared at the male on the other side of her. “I’ve got her.” He lifted Sam into a fireman’s carry, knowing the walk back to the gate would be impossible if he tried to carry her any other way. They led Jack to a large round pad and beckoned for him to stand in the center. The room dematerialised and the planet's surface appeared as Jack rematerialised. He wasn’t sure which direction to head, and the aliens hadn’t given him any information before they beamed him to the surface. 

He shifted his grip on Sam and pressed the call button on his radio. “O’Neill calling...anyone.” Nothing looked familiar. “This is General O’Neill, calling any SGC personnel. Does anyone copy?”

There was a crackle of static, and then a voice. “This is Colonel Reynolds, reading you five by, General.”

“Reynolds, I’ve got Carter, but she needs medical assistance now, and I need help finding the gate.”

“Stay put General, we’ll track your locator chips. Give us a minute.” Jack checked the pulse in Sam’s ankle, since he could easily reach that, while he waited. It was weak and thready but that meant she was still alive. 

“Ok, we’ve found you. Start moving and I’ll tell you what direction to go.”

Jack repositioned Sam and picked a direction. He was getting anxious when Reynolds called him again. 

“Turn to your left, General. We're on our way to rendezvous with a stretcher. I’ve sent James ahead to radio the SGC to have a medical team in the gate room.”

“Good.” Jack turned and just kept putting one foot in front of the other, even though his body ached, he was hungry, thirsty, and tired. He had no choice but to keep moving. Carter was depending on him. 

Thankfully Colonel Reynolds, and the rest of SG3, reached him ten minutes after his initial call. The men helped Jack lay Carter on the ground. Major Knolwes felt for a pulse. 

“She’s alive, but we need to go now. Her pulse is slow and shallow.”

The men loaded her onto the stretcher and started a brisk pace back to the gate. Jack had to push himself to keep up. The event horizon was shimmering by the time he could see the gate, and he watched with relief, as Knowles and Edwards disappeared through the event horizon with Sam. Reynolds held the gate open for him. They walked through together and found the gateroom filled with energy as Sam was being wheeled out. Jack managed to stay on his feet until he reached the infirmary, flanked by Reynolds and Knowles, and planted himself on an open gurney. The buzzing in the room told him they were working on Sam, and he waved away a nurse, who walked towards him. He had no intention of interrupting them.


	5. Chapter 5

Daniel raced into the infirmary, with Teal’c on his heels. “Jack, did you find her?”  
“Yeah.” He looked across the room. “They took her over there.” Their eyes followed his.  
“She’ll be fine.” Daniel gave Jack a tight grin. “What can I get you?”  
“Water. Water would be good.” Daniel went to the small refrigerator and got Jack a bottle of water. After twenty minutes, the nurse Jack had previously swatted away cautiously walked towards him. 

"Sir, I need to check your vitals before the doctor checks you over." she asked quietly. 

"That's fine," Jack replied. He was fine to stay where he was because he knew as long as he was in the infirmary watching people go in and out of Sam’s room, she was still alive.

Jack was released from care before Sam was stable, so he stayed put, waiting with Daniel and Teal’c, Daniel reminded him more than once, that he'd gotten her this far, and that she was in good hands now. Teal’c made trips to the commissary for drinks and snacks. Walter came down to update him on base operations.   
After two hours Dr. Marlon exited the infirmary and joined them in the hall. “She’s stable but we had to resuscitate her twice.” He scanned the concerned faces before him. “I was informed that she’d been injected with multiple unknown substances. We’ve taken a great deal of blood work and hopefully we’ll be able to figure out what’s causing her heart, brain, kidneys, and liver to deteriorate.”   
“Can we see her?”  
“Briefly, but she’s still in critical condition and the nurses are monitoring her.”

“Thanks Doc.”  
Everyone except Daniel left after twenty minutes, with plans for Teal’c to relieve Daniel in a few hours. They both insisted Jack not return until morning. Jack quickly checked with Walter that things were running smoothly, before heading to his quarters for a long overdue shower and some sleep. 

He slept fitfully. His first stop after he woke was the infirmary. The nurse changing Sam’s IV told him her condition had not improved overnight, and they had not yet determined what chemicals had been injected into her. The nurse and Teal’c left him alone with her for a few minutes.

He started to reach for her hand but stopped himself. They hadn’t given themselves that permission yet. He suspected that was why she’d come to his house a little more than a week ago, but she’d swallowed the words that had been on the tip of her tongue when Kerry had walked out of his house. He refused to feel guilty about trying to bury his feelings for her by dating another woman, since she'd moved on first. Of course, he also knew they were both single again now. When she’d told him why Pete wasn’t at her father’s funeral, he’d hoped that meant they had another chance. He’d been waiting for her to seek him out again, but instead she’d ended up in this bed hooked up to too many probes and machines.

“Ok, Carter. Enough with the slumbering. I know things have been hectic lately, but this nap is taking way too long.” She didn’t budge. He sat in the chair next to her bed. “You have to wake up if we’re going to talk, and we need to talk. I know me asking to talk is a surprise, but there it is. We need to talk.” He reached out to move a lock of her hair but pulled his hand back before he touched her. “We need to talk about some of the things your brain put on that wall too.” He looked down at his feet. “The ball’s in your court Carter.” He stood up and leaned down close to her ear. “Please Sam,” he whispered. 

Jack passed Daniel in the hall. “I’ll be back down in a few hours. Let me know if there’s any change.”  
Daniel nodded. “Jack?”  
“Don’t, Daniel.” He didn’t want Daniel’s sympathy. He went to his office and immersed himself in the day-to-day running of the SGC. He took his lunch to the infirmary and ate while he chatted to her still form. A couple hours after lunch Dr. Marlon came to his office.  
“Sir?”  
“Enter.” Jack’s weariness was seeping through.  
“I wanted to update you on Colonel Carter’s condition.”   
"Have a seat," Jack said and waved his hand towards the empty chair opposite his own. 

“She’s still unconscious and I’m afraid we haven’t been able to determine what was injected into her. The brain perfusion test showed all areas of her brain are still receiving adequate blood flow, but her brain waves are very shallow. Her blood pressure is low, and her heart rate remains slow, but we haven’t had to resuscitate her again since last night. She is on a ventilator, but only for assistance with her breathing.” He placed emphasis on the word only. “If we removed it, she would breath on her own but not well enough, so for now I plan to leave her on the ventilator. The biggest issue right now is that her kidney and liver function are deteriorating. Without knowing what was introduced to her body, I am honestly not sure that I can counter what is happening.”

“And if you did know?”  
Dr. Marlon tightened his lips and tilted his head to the side. “I’d have a better chance.” He frowned and sighed. “She’d have a better chance.”  
“Right, I get it. Anything else?”  
“No, sir.”

After the doctor left Jack pushed a button on his phone. “Walter, ask SG-3 to be suited up and ready to go in twenty minutes.”  
“Yes, sir.”

Jack took a detour to the infirmary to see Sam on his way to the locker room. Daniel was sitting with her, while reading a book.  
“Hey, Jack.”  
“Hey. Can I have a minute with her?”  
“Of course, It’ll give me a chance to run to the restroom.” Daniel gave Jack half a grin Jack leaned down close to her ear again. 

“I’ll get what you need Sam. Do you hear me? Hang on a little while longer.” He gave her shoulder a soft squeeze before walking out without looking back.

Fifteen minutes later, he walked into the gateroom wearing fatigues. Colonel Reynolds and his men were waiting for him.   
“Sir, where are we headed?”  
“Back to find out what they gave Colonel Carter.” Jack looked up at the control room and nodded. “Dial her up Walter.”

Jack was the first step through. He toggled his radio. “I’m pretty sure you can hear me.” Jack looked around him as Reynolds and his men took up protective positions. “Colonel Carter is dying. She’s the one who has the best chance of helping you fix your world. If she dies that information dies with her.” Jack walked around the clearing. “I need to know what you injected into her. The only chance we have to save her is to figure out what you did.”

Two syringes appeared beside the DHD, one containing red fluid and the other containing an orange fluid. Jack retrieved them and toggled his radio again. “Thank you." He dialed home and rushed back to the infirmary.

“Doc?”  
Dr. Marlon stepped out of his office. Jack held up the two syringes. “They injected the red one into her first. After she started seizing, they used the orange one. These are the only things I saw them use on her while I was there, and awake.”  
Dr. Marlon looked amazed. 

"I'll start the tests immediately, Sir. This might give us a fighting chance.”  
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”

Jack took a shower, got a bite to eat, and relieved Daniel for the evening. He started out in a chair but migrated to a neighboring cot a little after midnight. He slept fitfully, spending his waking moments watching her, studying her for any signs of consciousness. Her face was slack, and her skin was far too pale, diminishing her natural aura, and making her look slightly foreign to him. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her like this, but it never got easier. The hardest part of accepting his promotion, was knowing he couldn’t stand between her and danger anymore.

Nurses quietly came and went throughout the night, checking her vitals, giving her medications, and changing her IV. Somehow, the nurses kept timing their entrance to just after he’d fallen asleep. He wondered if they were doing it on purpose. Maybe this was payback for all the times he’d been a lousy patient. By morning, he was exhausted, but when Teal’c showed up to take over, he somehow dragged himself to his office.

He spent hours signing papers he half read, reviewing proposed missions, and sending teams through the gate. Just as he was considering taking a break and going down to the infirmary, Dr. Marlon showed up.

“Sir? May I have a moment?”  
“Of course.” Jack motioned to the chair in front of his desk.  
“The samples you procured have helped.”  
“Good. So you can help her?”  
“I hope so. You see, now that we have samples to work from, we’ve been able to look for these substances in Colonel Carter’s blood.”  
“And?”  
“And, there’s still a large amount of the Rosoin in her blood, but we didn’t find any Oranuet. That leads me to the conclusion that her current symptoms are being caused by the Rosoin.”

Jack shook his head. “Rosoin and Oranuet?”  
Dr. Marlon twisted his lips. “We got tired of calling them the red stuff and orange stuff. Rosoin mean red poison and Oranuet means orange neutralizer.”

“I see. I saw both being injected into her. She should have red and orange in her system.”  
“I read that. Your report says the Rosoin was injected first and the Oranuet was injected second, presumably in an attempt to save Colonel Carter.”  
“That’s how it seemed.”  
“I’m hypothesizing that the reason we aren’t detecting any of the Oranuet in her system is because it was used up negating the Rosoin.”

“If it negated the red why are you still detecting red in her system.”  
“I think maybe because more Rosoin was injected than Oranuet. Based on my readings a lot more Rosoin.”  
Jack knew where the man was going and didn’t like it. “What are you suggesting?”  
“I want to inject small amounts of Oranuet into Colonel Carter, monitoring her condition with each injection.”  
Jack’s grip on his pen tightened to the point where his knuckles turned white and felt tight. “You don’t see another option?”  
“Not one that has a chance to save her.”  
Jack looked down at his desk. “Do it.”  
Dr. Marlon stood. “Yes, sir.”


	6. Chapter 6

Jack gave the man a head start, by grabbing a sandwich before heading to the infirmary. He was there in time for the first small injection. He watched, hoping for a miracle, but her eyes never fluttered, and she still needed help to maintain her breathing. After an hour, the nurse took a blood sample and Dr. Marlon administered another small dose of Oranuet. Jack had no choice but to leave Daniel standing watch over her. The mountain didn’t stop just because he had someplace else he would rather be.

When he returned after dinner, she was still unchanged.  
“Jack.”  
“Daniel.”  
“They’ve given her several small injections of Oranuet but there hasn’t been any change yet.” Daniel tried to smile but it didn’t quite work. “But Dr. Marlon did say he thinks it’s working though, so that’s good.”  
“Yeah, that’s good.” Jack collapsed in the chair Daniel had vacated.

“Can I bring you anything?”  
Jack shook his head. “No, I already ate.” He looked up at Daniel. “But thanks. There’s chocolate pudding tonight. Enjoy.”  
Daneil gave him a small smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
“Same bat channel, same bat time.”

Jack leaned back in his chair and watched her, hoping to see something Daniel missed. “Alright, Carter," he said in a quiet but authoritative voice, "You’ve been laying there long enough. It’s time to get a move on. You’ve got work to do, planets to save, suns to blow up, and things to build. I’m beginning to forget what your technobabble sounds like. I don’t understand what these scientists are saying, because you aren’t here to translate for me.”

Jack closed his eyes and rubbed his face. “I’m serious when I say I need you.”  
He leaned close to her face. “Carter, I order you to wake up.”   
He watched her eyes but the flicker of hope inside him dimmed when she didn’t move.   
“So much for you always following my orders.” 

He sat back again. When he started having trouble keeping his eyes open he laid down on the gurney beside her. Nurses came in every hour and continued to administer a small dose of the Oranuet. Jack watched her for a few minutes after every injection, but she didn’t change. His night of micronaps was enough to let him get up the next morning, but he was far from refreshed.

He drank the coffee Teal’c brought him in two large gulps while they waited for Dr. Marlon.  
“Hey, Doc.”  
“Gentlemen.” Dr. Marlon was reading a file he was carrying. “Good news at last. The level of Rosoin in her blood is decreasing.”

“That’s great doc.”  
“Indeed, it is O'Neill.” Teal’c said, inclining his head.  
“So, she’ll wake up soon?” Jack asked, hopefully.

Dr. Marlon’s lips tightened. “That, I don’t know yet Sir.” He looked solemnly up at both men. “Hopefully.”  
Jack watched them give Sam another small injection and waited for about fifteen minutes to see if she would wake up, but when she didn’t, he went back to his office. 

He came back down at lunch time and was pleasantly surprised to see she had been taken off the ventilator. It was nice to see more of her face, even if it was still slack. Daniel and Teal’c exchanged places while he was there, giving him a chance to talk to them both. He watched as Sam was injected again.

“Why not just give her all the orange stuff?”  
“Dr. Marlon doesn’t want to use so much that the Oranuet becomes the problem. He wants to use just enough to eliminate the Rosoin.”  
Jack scowled. “Guess that makes sense.” 

After lunch he had a series of meetings that, thankfully, only required half his attention, because that was all he had left. He finished as much of the paperwork as he could and grabbed a tray of dinner before heading back down to the infirmary. As he walked down the hall the repetitiveness of the last few days began to weigh him down. He knew there was hope of her improving, he’d seen that this afternoon, but it was taking too long, and his patience had worn as thin as government issued toilet paper. 

She looked the same when he walked in. He put his tray down on the table beside her bed. “How is she Daniel?”  
“Still holding her own. The levels of the Rosoin are continuing to decrease.”  
“That’s good.” The sentiment didn’t reach his voice.  
“It is Jack.” Daniel looked over at him. “It is.” 

Daniel looked back and sighed as he left his best friends alone in the isolation room. Suffering seemed to make up so much of their lives. He knew it made the good times so much sweeter, but he couldn't help wondering if the good times were ever going to win. He’d thought they were almost there, with the collapse of the Goa’uld, but then this dragged them all back down into the darkness. 

After Jack finished eating, one of the nurses took his tray away and brought him a blanket and a pillow, which he assumed was a hint to get some sleep. He figured he looked like hell, he sure felt like it. Jack climbed up on the gurney beside Sam after the nurse gave her another injection and closed his eyes. Exhaustion finally consumed him and allowed him to sleep for six straight hours. 

A gentle hand touched his shoulder and gave him a small shake. “General, sir?”  
Jack’s eyes opened slowly. “Hmmmmm?”  
“Colonel Carter is making noises sir. I thought you might like to be awake before her.”  
Jack quickly pushed himself up to a sitting position on the edge of the gurney.   
“Absolutely. Thank you.”

The nurse left him with Sam. He moved to the chair beside the head of her bed. He sat still watching her until he saw her cheek twitch and a small sigh escaped her lips.  
“Come on Carter. You’ve got a lot of people waiting for you to wake up.” He leaned closer. “I want to see those beautiful baby blues again.”

Muscles in her face twitched again. The flaccid look had disappeared while he slept, making her look more like herself again. “I know you can hear me. Open your eyes, Colonel.”  
He kept his eyes on her every twitch until the nurse arrived with the next injection. About ten minutes after the injection her eyes fluttered. “Carter?” There was a glimpse of blue. “Come on, wakey wakey.” The fluttering continued until her eyes stayed open just a fraction past a slit. “Hey, there.” Her eyes rotated towards him. “Take it easy you’ve been asleep for a while.”

Her eyes slowly moved from him to the ceiling and down across her body. “We’re back at the SGC. You’re safe now.” Her eyes moved back to his face. Her lips moved but she was struggling to talk. “It’s ok, Carter.”   
Her eyes closed for a moment and then opened again. “Sir.”  
He gave her a wide smile. “There ya’ go.” He nodded. “I knew you were still in there.”

“In there.”

“That’s right.” He watched the wheels spinning in her head. “It’s ok to go back to sleep. Either Teal’c or I will be here when you wake up.” She kept her eyes on him for another minute before allowing them to fall closed again. Jack sat beside her until Teal’c arrived, carrying a cup of coffee again. This time, Jack decided the paperwork and meetings could wait until after her next injection. He told Teal’c and the nurse about her brief period of wakefulness while the nurse was giving her another injection.   
Teal’c stood at the foot of her bed and Jack kept his seat near her head as they waited. A few minutes after the nurse stepped away from Sam’s IV her eyes fluttered open again. She looked at Teal’c first.  
“Good morning Colonel Carter.”  
She gave him a small smile. “T.”  
“I told you she was still in there.”  
Sam’s eyes rotated over to Jack. “Hey.”  
“Hey there.”  
“I’m going to go let Dr. Marlon know she’s awake.” The nurse walked away and out of the room.  
Jack kept his eyes on Sam. “How are you feeling?”  
“Weird. What happened?”  
“You know the usual, we were kidnapped, tortured a bit, and then got home.”  
“An average day?”  
“Indeed.”  
Sam smirked at Teal’c. “How long?”

“It has been a week since you left on your last mission.”  
“A week.” She lifted the hand with the IV in it. She looked at the tube and tape. She’d always hated them. They didn’t hurt really but they were a sure sign of illness or injury. She laid her hand back down. “What’s a girl gotta do to get something to drink?”  
Jack reached behind him to a table. “Just ask the right person.” He held out a small cup with a straw. He steadied the straw while she drank.  
She pulled her lips back. “Water? No diet soda or orange juice?”  
“Maybe if you’re a good Colonel.”  
“And the doctor agrees.” Jack looked over his shoulder as Dr. Marlon approached. “Good morning, Colonel. It’s good to see you awake. How are you feeling?”  
“A bit off, if I’m being honest.”  
“Honest would be good.” The doctor looked over at the nurse. “We’re going to take a bit of blood, so we can measure how much Rosoin is still in your system.”  
“Rosoin?”

“General O’Neill saw you being injected by two substances, one was red, we call it Rosoin, and the other was orange, which we call Oranuet. The Rosoin seems to be negatively affecting you and we are using the Oranuet to remove it from you.”  
“I think…” Sam looked away for a moment. “I think I remember the red. It hurt. My brain felt like it was exploding and then...”  
“Then what?”  
“I had a hard time concentrating on not telling him what he wanted to know. It was like there was only one thing I could think about.”  
Jack put his hand on her arm. “He was pretty persistent, but you held out.”  
Sam looked away and shook her head. “I don’t think I knew what he wanted.” She shivered slightly. “I have a good idea what happened to their planet but that’s not the same as being able to help them fix it.”  
“That isn’t our concern right now.” Jack gently smiled at her. “Get better and then you can write a long report about all of it.”  
“And you’ll read it?”  
“Just as closely as I always do.”

Dr. Marlon narrowed his eyes at the exchange. He knew they'd worked together for years but this banter wasn’t something he’d experienced with the General in the short time he’d worked on base. He seemed different around her.   
“Based on the data we’ve collected it will still take a couple days of injections for the Oranuet to eliminate the Rosoin. The good news is your ability to interact with us and the fact you remember some of your captivity means you will probably make a full recovery.”  
Jack broke out into a wide grin. “A full recovery is excellent news.” He looked from Dr. Marlon to Sam.  
She gave them all a small grin in return. “Yes, it is.”  
“Part of that full recovery also means taking time to rest.” Dr. Marlon gave her a stern look, which made the grin on her face slip.  
Jack’s hands opened. “Perfect, Carter’s preparing to go on a very relaxing vacation to a cabin by a lake. She will do nothing but relax.”

Sam was released from the infirmary two days later and ordered to do light duty only and strongly encouraged to take some time off. She went to her lab to pack a few things when Daniel came in carrying a box. “I think you need to look at this.”  
“That’s a charged ZPM.”  
“Yep.” Daniel grinned. “There’s this too.” Daniel pressed play on the camera and he and Sam started watching.  
“I better call the General.” Sam paused the video and went over to her phone. Jack said he was on his way and would bring Teal’c. When Jack and Teal’c arrived, Daniel gave them a quick synopsis of what they had already watched before pushing play again.   
Daniel turned the video off and Sam looked at Jack.   
“Is that correct?”   
“If it is, we don't do anything?”  
She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Apparently nothing we did affected the timeline.”  
“But we didn't do anything”.  
“Not yet. Apparently, we were going to, two weeks from now, but now we don't have to.”  
“Excellent! That's it! I like it!”  
Sam picked up the ZPM. “I'm gonna get this up to the lab for analysis.”  
Jack takes the box from her. “No! I'll take it. There's a whole room full of geeks up there just dyin' to get their hands on this. You've got packin' to do!”

Sam couldn’t help but smile as he left her lab. She finished turning everything off before heading to the surface and going home. She spent about an hour packing and cleaning out what little was in her refrigerator before there was a knock on her door.  
“Good evening, sir. I’m about ready to go. I just need to take out this trash and grab my bag.”  
“I’ll take care of the trash. You get your bag.” She gave him a shy grin as he tied the bag closed and she headed to her bedroom. Once all the lights were out, her doors were locked, and her bag was in the truck she climbed into the passenger side of the truck. “Thanks for joining me on the drive.”  
“It makes sense to team up for such a long drive, especially since you plan to drive through the night.”  
“I do it all the time.”  
“That doesn’t mean you should be doing it alone.”  
“Then I’m glad I’m not.” He glanced over at her as she wrapped up a coat and laid it between her head and the window. “Tired?”  
“I thought I might get some sleep and then we could switch drivers.”  
“I don’t mind doing all the driving, I mean you’ve barely gotten out of the infirmary.”  
She glared at him. “I have an alarm set for five hours. Then I’m driving and you’re getting some sleep. I don’t want to have to deal with a sleepy grumpy General tomorrow.”  
“I don’t get grumpy when I’m sleepy.”  
Sams snorted. “Right.”

When she woke, she told him she needed to stop for a bathroom break. When he came out of the store after paying, she was in the driver’s seat. She held her hand out when he opened the passenger door. He climbed in and handed her his keys. She glanced down at his purchases. “You might want to hold off on the caffeine until after you get some sleep.”  
He put one soda in his cup holder and a diet soda in her cup holder. “Yes, ma’am.”  
Sam grinned as she started up the truck. He used the same coat she had to make a pillow against the window. He hadn’t thought he was that tired, but he was asleep in less than five minutes. He woke as the sun rose and his stomach growled.  
“Ready to stop for some breakfast?” Sam grinned over at him.  
“You know me so well.”  
She pulled into a waffle house. “Yes, yes I do.”  
His eyes lit up at her choice. “Ooooh, waffles.”

After breakfast they got back on the road, with Jack driving. “We’re more than half way there so we’ll have time to get stocked up and open the cabin before the guys arrive.”  
“I’ll be happy to help as long as you tell me what you want me to do.”  
“We’ll stop at the grocery store on our way in.”  
Sam gave him a wide grin and her eyes twinkled. “I’ll be able to pick out some of my favorites.”  
“Such as?”  
“Blueberry bagels, apples, cinnamon crunch cereal, and I’ll make sure we get plenty of turkey for Teal’c.”  
“Well, of course.” Jack glanced over at her. “How are you feeling this morning?”  
“Back to normal.”  
“Good.” His lips twisted, so she knew he was trying to figure out to say something. “That idiot kidnapped you because he thought you could fix their planet.”  
“Right.”  
“Can you?”  
Sam rolled her shoulders and stretched. “I had a few ideas and I shared those with Dr. Richland. He’s an environmental scientist with the Air Force that consults with SGC. He’s pulling a team together as we speak. They're going to look at the data I collected, and they’ll probably have some recommendations for you when we get back.”  
“Nice.” His lips twitched again.  
“Go ahead and ask me.”  
“What?”  
Sam tilted her head. “I can tell there’s more you want to ask.”

He glanced between her and the road a couple times. “They kidnapped me because they thought I was your mate.”  
Sam nodded. “I know.” Sam twisted her hands. “I’m sorry about that.”  
“You have nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t your fault.”  
“Oh please.” Sam rolled her eyes as she turned to sit on her hip and look at him. “Of course it’s my fault. It was my mind he was poking around in. My thoughts are why he took you.”  
“It still wasn’t your fault.”  
“Right.” Sam scoffed.  
“Carter.”  
“You can’t make me feel better about this.”  
“The way I see it nothing happened to me and I was able to help you, so it was a good thing they brought me to you.”  
“How did they get you to the planet?” He explained the message the SGC received and that even though he knew it wasn’t her he also knew he had to go look for her. 

“You came for me even though you knew it was a trap?”  
“We don’t leave our people behind.”  
“But you're in charge now. You shouldn’t be the one risking yourself.”  
“So I’ve been told.”  
“But?”  
He kept his eyes on the road. “But it was you and they made it clear they wanted me.”  
“You shouldn’t risk yourself for me.” She said it quietly while staring out the window. “I’m just one person.”  
“Not to me.”  
Sam kept her head turned away from him. “I put in a transfer request. There’s a position at 51.”  
“I know.” His hands gripped the wheel tighter. “Why?”  
“Things are quiet out there right now and if I transferred, I wouldn’t be in your chain of command.”  
“It would hurt your career to leave a leadership position.”  
“I’d be running R&D.” She rubbed her sweaty hands on her jeans. “It wouldn’t be a demotion.”  
“I’m not worth it.”  
“One, you’re wrong. Two, I’m not worth you putting your life at risk, and three I would gain a lot, I hope, and lose nothing.”  
“You’d be losing the gate.”  
“Worth it.”  
Her reached over and laid his hand on top of hers, stilling them. “This is a big decision.”

“It is, but I’ve thought a lot about it. I’ve come so close lately to screwing this up and I don’t want to risk it again.” She turned her hand over and thread her fingers between his. “Even random aliens know how I feel about you.”  
“Those were some powerful images he nabbed out of your head.”  
Sam bit her lower lip. “I guess.”  
“There were a couple I didn’t recognize.” He glanced over and watched the red crawl up her neck until her cheeks were pink.  
“Really?” Her voice quivered. 

“There was a kiss I don’t seem to remember.”  
“Oh.” He saw a shy grin cross her face. “I was hallucinating. Those head injuries when you’re trapped alone on a spaceship can result in all sorts of stuff just popping into your head.”   
“I see.” He looked over to gauge her reaction to his next comment. “There was also the one where you seemed to be moaning, in pleasure not pain. I definitely heard my name.”  
She pulled her hands away from him and covered her face. “Oh, God!”   
“Have I forgotten a moment that should be seared into my memory?”  
Sam bent her knees and put her heels on the edge of her seat. She dropped her head to her knees. “You know what that was.”   
He had a hard time hearing her since her voice was muffled by her legs. “I do think I will need an explanation.”  
Sam groaned.  
“Or maybe a demonstration sometime.” Her head shot up and her eyes were wide. He couldn’t help but burst out laughing at her shock and mortification.   
“I can’t believe he showed that to you.”  
“Were you...I mean was that when you were...I mean were you with the cop when…”  
“No! Oh, God, no. No!”  
“Sorry, I just...I mean I saw a hand and I thought…”  
“I was alone. I mean it was just me, so it was my hand.”  
“You said my name while you were…”  
“Yep.”  
“Damn, but that’s hot.” Sam groaned again and dropped her head back to her knees. Jack couldn’t hold back his snicker any longer. “You aren’t alone in that.”  
“What?” Her head popped up again and she looked over at him.  
“I was damn lucky he never projected any of my thoughts about you onto that wall.” He glanced at her again. “They wouldn’t have been for general audiences.”  
Sam looked away from him as her blush increased. “Really? Wow.”

“We’ve both been holding a lot back, keeping it in the room one might say, for a long time. I agree it might be time for us to explore a bit, but I’d like to find a way to do that without you giving up SG-1.”  
“Such as what?” She let her feet fall back to the floor of the truck. “Are you going to retire again? Leave me with a General who tells me to make nucs and then sets them off on unsuspecting planets filled with naquada?”  
“That won’t happen again. If I retired, I wouldn’t do it until I could hand pick a suitable replacement.”  
“And you’d be ok with me going through the gate while you sit at home, not knowing where I’ve gone or when I’ll come back. And when I don’t come back, you’d be able to just sit and wait?” Jack grimaced. “That’s what I thought. Being out of the loop would drive you insane. Could we really have a successful relationship under those conditions?”  
“I see your point.”  
“At 51 I still get to play with all the tech and work on the ships we’re designing.”  
“But you’ll be in Nevada.”  
“True but there are some advantages of a long-distance relationship.”  
“Such as?”  
“We won’t have to share a bathroom very often, so all my girly products won’t clutter your counter.”  
“I’d like to see your clutter in my bathroom.”  
“We wouldn’t spend a lot of money on dates.”  
“Not going on dates is a plus?”  
“Think about how much we’d like seeing each other when we do get together.”  
“Hmmmmmm, of course I’d like seeing you every day too.”  
“Fine, there might, one day, possibly, be phone sex.” Her voice had dropped to whisper by the end of the sentence.  
“Did you just say phone sex?”  
“Maybe, yes.”  
“That’s the first real perk you’ve mentioned, although technically we could do that without you being in another state. Heck we could even do that sitting beside each other in say the same truck.” He waggled his eyebrows.  
“Not a chance.”

He shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.” She snickered. “So, your mind’s made up?”  
“Yes, sir.”  
He winced at the title, something she hadn’t used in hours. “Well good, because I approved your request before we left.”  
“What?” Her shock was evident.  
“You have three weeks of leaving before reporting to 51, but as of this morning you’re technically no longer in my chain of command.”  
Sam’s abdomen tightened and she felt a bolt of electricity flow through her. “Really?”  
He nodded. “If that’s not what you want, I can call Walter and ask him to…”  
“No!” Her eyes were sparkling. “I’m just...surprised.”  
“I want this as much as you do, Sam.” He reached back over and held her hand. “I don’t want to risk losing you without giving this a shot.”

Sam was silent as she bit on her lower lip. As they approached a small town Sam asked him to find a place to pull off for a few minutes. He thought she might need a bathroom or some coffee so he pulled into a parking spot in front of a small convenience store.  
As soon as he turned off the engine Sam took off her seatbelt and scooted close to him. She reached up and cupped the side of his face, turning his face until he was looking at her. Their eyes briefly locked before she closed her eyes and tilted her head. He had just a second of warning before her lips touched his, but he lost no time responding. His arms wrapped around her as her lips opened and their tongues began to duel. Her fingers slid through his short hair as their kiss continued. They were both a little breathless when Sam pulled back.

Her hand slid from his neck to his chest. “I couldn’t wait any longer.”  
“I’m good with your impatience.” He leaned forward and captured her lips again. This time she moaned as they kissed and that sound brought him to the edge of sanity, but he knew a public parking lot wasn’t the best place for this display to continue. He pulled back from her. “We only have a couple hours of driving left. How about we get a couple drinks and get back on the road?”  
She nodded before giving him one last quick kiss. “Sounds good.”  
They each used the restroom and grabbed drinks before starting back towards the cabin. They stopped for lunch and then went grocery shopping before finally pulling up in front of the cabin.

“Jack, it’s beautiful.”  
His grin encompassed his face. “I hoped you’d like it here.” She stepped closer to him and he knew better than to pass up her proximity. As her head lifted and tilted, he closed the distance and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss that didn’t deepen. He looked at the pink in her cheeks and light in her eyes as she pulled back. “We ought to get the groceries inside.”  
“Right.” Sam bit her lip and grinned as she let go of him and headed to the truck. It took them an hour to get everything put away, open all the windows to air out the cabin, and make the beds. When they finished, they sat out on the deck overlooking the pond.   
“The guys won’t get here until late tonight.” Jack took a swig of his beer. “So it will be just us for dinner.”  
“I noticed you bought a couple filets.”  
“I thought it might be nice to treat ourselves.”  
Sam grinned. “Kind of like a date.”  
He reached out for her hand. “Kind of, yeah.”  
She entwined her fingers with his. “Jack.”  
“Hmmmm?” He looked into her eyes and her smile made the edges crinkle.  
“Thank you.”  
“For?”  
“Trying this. Waiting on me. Not giving up on me even when…”  
He squeezed her hand. “Always, Sam. Always.”


End file.
